Spark arrester and consumer



(No Model.)

w.,HoGA-N. Y

` SPARK ARRESTERAND ccjNsUMER.

No. 349,796. Patented S I Lu l llllllrlllflvllll l .by declare the following to be a full, clear, and

great inconvenience in railroad traveling, andl and other sooty matter.

WILLI-AM HOGAN, `or EE SPARK ARRESTI-:R

PATENT OFFICE. 'Y

Novo, PENNSYLVANIA.

AND coNsUMI-:R-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,79, dated September 28, 1886. f

Application filed May 15, 1886. Serial No. 202,228. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HOGAN, of Renovo, Clinton county, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain newandusei` ful Spark Arrester and Consumer; and I hereexact description of the same', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.' l

The object of my invention is twofold: first, to increase the efficiency of steam-engines by avoiding the Waste of a large quantity of un-,f consumed fuel, which usually passes off in the form of cinders and smoke; second,to avoid they also more or less attending the use of all forms ofsteam-engines, caused by the constant throwing oft' by the engine of cinders and smoke.V 5

My invention is applicable to all forms of steamengines, whether stationary or locomotive. I will describe it first with reference to its application to the latter, and afterward point out the necessary modifications to render it applicable to the former. n

There are in existence man; forms of sparkarresters. They, however, simply hold back the sparks and cinders and deposit them in the bottom of the smoke-box, necessitating a constant clearing out of the latterin order to, avoid its beingologged'up with the coal-dust My invention not only arrests the smoke and cinders,b'ut returns them to the iirebox to be consu med, thus increasing the efficiency of the engine, avoiding the choking up of the smokebox and the escape' of .cinders through the smoke-stack.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the middle plane of the fire-box, boiler, and smokebox of a locomotive. Fig. 2 is a front view of the smoke-box, the head being removed. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the sameat the plane passing through the axis A of the flutter-wheel C in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the plane indicated by the line y y in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the planeindicated by the line x in Fig. 3. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 also show several curved surfaces in relief,instead of in sections.

I will now describe the most important feaings;

compartment.

side ofthe main walls of the smoke-box. also works upon auxiliary bearings at each of tures of my invention as shown in the drawf Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the smoke-box is `divided vertically by two U- shaped partitions into three compartments,

and the second within the third, andwhich I will call, respectively, the inner/7' middle, and outer 7 compartment. These partitions extend all the way from the top to the bottom of the smoke-box. The partition d c c d, which sepa# rates the outer from t-he middle compartment, is composed partly of the' solid wallsv d dd d, and partly of the fine wire-netting c c c. The

the first compartment being within the second partition ef e, which separates the middle from lbetween the'middle and inner compartment can/never be completely shut off, for when the sliding sides are shoved all-the way forward,so

as to touch the head of the smoke-box, the slots g g gare pushed forward free of the tixed'part of the partition, and themselves afford a communication between the two compartments.

The boiler-tubes open into the back of the outer compartment. p The exhaust-nozzle B is at'the bottom of the inner compartment, and thesmoke-stack opens from the top of thesame.

Passing across the entire width of the smokebox at aboutjits lateral center, and therefore through each of thc three compartments,is the horizontal revolving axis A. This axis works upon the bearings b b, situated upon the outthe four points where it passes kthrough the lcompartment partition-Walls.

To the center of the axis A, and therefore with its blades directly: over the exhaust-nozlzle B, is fixed theilutterwheel'C. VUponithe portions of the same axis which pass through the ,outer compartment are fixed two suctionfans, D, in Fig. 5,working within the turbineshaped cases E E, and discharging their currents through the nozzles F F. These suction-fans, with their eases and nozzles, constitutethe blowers.

The two forward arms or side portions of the outer compartment are not closed at the normal end or head of the smoke-box, but are continued forward a short distance, and then, gradually diminishing in size, are curved around each to the outside of its side of the smokebox and continue backward in the form of two large pipes, G G. These pipes run parallel to the sides of the boiler for its entire length, and then,turning inward,open into the upper part of the fire-box. Theform and direction of one of these side pipes areindicated by the dotted lines G G in Fig. l. of their forward ends is shown in Fig. 3, G G. These conducting-pipes ruiming from the outer compartment ofthe smoke-box to the fire-box, will hereinafter be called the4 einder-pipes.77 The nozzles F F,which discharge the current from the suction-fans E E extend forward into the extensions of the side portions of the outer compartment and curve well around into the cinder-pipes.

Having thus' outlined the broad features of my device, I will proceed to describe the method of its operation, and afterward describe more minutely some of its minor details. l

The hot air, laden with cinders and smoke passes directly from the boiler-tubes into the outer compartment of the smoke-box. From this compartment it has two possible means of egress, the one by passing through the wirenetting c c cinto the middle compartment, and thence around the partly-open sides of the partition e f e into the inner compartment and up and out through the smoke-stack. This I will speak of as the main draft.7 Itsother means of egress is by passing forward along the two side portions of the outer compartment,around its curved ends, and through the cinder'pipes back into the fire-box. Its passage through this latter course is caused by the action of the blowers. l The impact of the steam escaping from the exhaust-nozzle against the blades of the flutter-wheel Gcauses the aXis A to revolve rapidly and powerfully, carrying the suction-fans D with it. These latter by their rapid revolution draw a continuous current of air from the outer compartment, and discharge it violently through the nozzles F F into the cinder-pipes G G, and thus cause a strong induced current to pass along the second of the two means of egress spoken of abovenamely, through the pipes G C. This I will call the secondary draft. Thusit happens that at the same time that the main draft, strengthened by the escape of the exhauststeampassing out of the smoke-stack, tends to produce asuction through the netting and up the smoke-stack, the action of the blowers A top view f and the consequent induced current tends to attract the same air in the direction of the secondary draft. The relative force of these two drafts may be varied at pleasure by opening or closing the sides of the partition which separate the inner compartment from the middle one, thus increasing or decreasing the amount of the main draft. The sorting power of a fine wirenetting is well known. Not only does it arrest cinders and pieces of coal which are too large to pass through its interstices, but even smaller pieces and unconsumed carbon in the form of smoke will, if possible, seek another exit rather than pass through it. Itis by availing myself of this that I accomplish the end of my invention. Owing to this double draft, created on the one hand by the` smoke-stack and on the other induced by the blowers, there is, after the draft has passed ont from the tubes of the boiler, a point, or rather line, of indecision near the surface ot' the wire-netting,

vupon reaching which it is for a moment uncertain which of the two possible means of exit any particular portion of this ci nderladen air will take. Then it is that the sorting power of the netting 'comes into play, allowing part of the air, very largely or wholly freed from its impurities, to pass through the netting and up out of the smoke-stack, but causing the remainder, carrying with it the cinders, ashes, sparks, smoke, and unconsumed carbon in any form, to be drawn around the sides into the einder-pipes, and thus carried back into the fire-box, to be more effectually consumed. By properly adjusting the sliding sides of the partition which separates the middle from the inner compartment the relative strength 0f the two drafts can be regulated so as to make the greatest possible use of the sorting power of the wire-netting, and at the same time theleast possible diminution ofthe main draft of the engine. This completes the description of the practical opera tion of my device. I will now mention some of its minor details.

Entering the lower side of the forward end. of each of the cinder-pipes a short distance behind the ends of the nozzles F F, there is upon each side of the engine a small blast-pipe leading either' from the air-brake pump or any other convenient source of pressure. The escape of air or steam under high pressure through this tube into the cinder-pipe is controlled by the cock m, which is actuated 'by the long leverarm a a, running from the cock to the eab of the engine. The object of this is to prevent the clogging of the cinder-pipe by cinders and sooty matter. This is accomplished by the engineers occasionally opening the cock and allowing a strong jet of com# pressed air or steam, as the ease may be, to escape into the cinder-pipe, effectually clearing it of any coal-dust or other matter which may have accumulated. v l

In order to avoid any considerable quantity of cinders, die., being sucked into the rotary IOO fans D, and by its accumulation interfering with the revolution of itsblades, the side openface of the lire.

ings of the fan-eases E E, through which the air is sucked, are covered with a fine wirenetting, which is best shown in Fig. 5, covering the fan D. Owing to this netting these substances are carried along by the induced portion of the secondary current and do no pass in among the fans.

II have stated before that my invention is applicable to stationary as well as locomotive engines. It is evident that in this form the absence of asufticiently powerful exhaust necessitates the use of some other motive power than a iutter-wheel in order to turn the suction-fans. This I accomplish by allowing the axis A to proj ect from the smoke-box and causing this projecting end to carry a belt-wheel which is run by belting or any other form of gearing connecting with the ily-wheel or any other running wheel of the engine. In the ac companying drawings the cinder-pipes are shown to enter the fire-box at the upper rear corners. I do not wish to be understood to confine myself to this position. They may enter lower down immediately above the sur- They maybe continued inward and open against a deflectingscreen. They may even open into the ash-box just below the surface of the grating, and in this lati ter position the smoke and cinders being carried by the draft up through the fire are even more effectually consumed than in the other positions.

I am aware that previous attempts have been made to conduct the cinders, Src., from a locomotive back again into the ire-box. Their failure in practical application has been largely due to the inability to properly control the relative strength of the twodrafts. lf the secondary draft is too strong, too large a quantity of air having its oxygen burned out is returned to the boiler. On the other hand, if the main draft is too strong the cinders and smoke are forced through the netting, and the object of the device is not attained. It is an essential part of my invention that it affords a means of avoiding both of these difficulties by making it possible to regulate to any desired extent the relative strength of the two drafts. The

sliding sides e e by which I -accomplish this are, as far as I am aware, peculiar to my invention. y

Having thus described my invention and the method of its operation, I claiml. In a locomotive or other engine provided with means for inducing a secondary draft, a partition in the smoke-box, which may be opened or closed so as to regulate the relative strength of the two drafts.

2. In a locomotive or other engine, a smokebox which is divided by two U-shaped parttions into three compartments, the outer partition being partly or wholly of wire-netting and the inner having sliding sides, substantially as set forth.

`3. rThe combination,in a locomotive or other engine, of a wire-netting forming part of a partition in the smoke-box, a rotary suction-fan and discharge-nozzle arranged to inducea secondary draft, a sliding partition-wall in the smoke-box, by means of which the strength of this secondary draft may be regulated, and a cinder-pipe leading into the fire-bogsllbstantially as set forth.

4. The combination,in alocomotive or other engine, ofthe smoke-box, the wire-netting c c c, the suction-fans D, the conducting cinder-pipes G, and the flutter-wheel C.

5. The combination,in a locomotive or other engine, of the smoke-box, the wire-netting ccc, the cinder-pipes G G, and the partition efe, having the sliding sides e.

6. The combi nation,in a locomotive or other engine, of t-he netting c c c, the suction-fans D D, the conducting cinder-pipes G, and the blast-pipes k k.

7. The combinaton,in a locomotive or other engine, of the Hutter-wheel G, the suction-fans D, the einder-pipes G G, and the blast-pipes -t 7c.

8. The combination, in a locomotive or other engine, of the wire netting c c c, the sliding partition-walls e e, the flutter-wheel C, the suction -fans D, and the cinder-pipes G G.

VILLIAM HOGAN. 

